Conventionally, connectors such as board to board connectors, etc., have been used to electrically connect pairs of parallel circuit boards together. Such connectors are attached to mutually facing surface of a pair of circuit boards and are mated together so that electrical conduction is established. In this context, a technique of maintaining a state of being mated with a mating connector, with reinforcing brackets attached to both end portions serving as lock members, has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a conventional connector.
In the figure, 811 is a first housing that is a housing for a first connector mounted on a first circuit board not illustrated, and 911 is a second housing that is a housing for a second connector mounted on a second circuit board not illustrated. The first circuit board and the second circuit board are electrically connected to each other with the first connector and the second connector mated. In the figure, the first housing 811 has a mating surface facing upward and the second housing 911 has a mating surface facing downward. With this arrangement, the first connector is relatively moved toward the second connector, whereby the connectors can be mated.
The first housing 811 includes a recess 812 that receives the second housing 911 and a protrusion 813 formed at the center of the recess 812. The first housing 811 is provided with a plurality of first terminals 861, and has outer reinforcing brackets 851 attached to both ends in a longitudinal direction and inner reinforcing brackets 871 attached to both ends of the protrusion 813 in the longitudinal direction.
The second housing 911 is provided with a plurality of second terminals 961, and has reinforcing brackets 951 attached to both ends in the longitudinal direction.
When the first connector and the second connector are mated, the first terminals 861 and the respective second terminals 961 come into contact with each other. As a result, the first circuit board and the second circuit board are electrically connected to each other. The second housing 911 is inserted in the recess 812 of the first housing 811, and the reinforcing brackets 951 engage with the outer reinforcing brackets 851. When the second housing 911 is inserted into the recess 812 of the first housing 811, the reinforcing brackets 951 might collide with both ends of the protrusion 813 in the longitudinal direction. Still, the inner reinforcing brackets 871 attached as described above prevent both ends of the protrusion 813 in the longitudinal direction from being damaged.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2016-031842